2025 Sound Wall Workshop- Face to Face or Virtual
8am - noon CST or Noon to 4pm EST
Phoneme Focus Wall: A Sound Wall Tool - The What, Why, and How
Date: February 13th, February 25th, March 13th, March 27th, April 22 or May 14th​
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This engaging session is designed for teachers, interventionists, and other educational stakeholders interested in enhancing phonemic awareness and phonics instruction through the use of a Phoneme Focus Wall (a sound wall tool).
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A sound wall is a powerful instructional tool designed to deepen students' understanding of phonemic awareness and phonics. Unlike a traditional word wall, which displays high-frequency words alphabetically by their first letter, a sound wall is organized around the 44 phonemes (sounds) in the English language. Each phoneme is accompanied by its corresponding graphemes—the various letter or letter combinations that represent that sound in written language.
​Sound walls often include visual aids to further support learning, such as pictures of mouth positions to illustrate how each sound is produced. These visuals, combined with explicit instruction, encourage students to understand the mechanics of speech and how sounds map to written language. Unlike word walls, which may overwhelm or confuse emerging readers who struggle to remember irregular spellings, sound walls offer a logical and structured approach to literacy.
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By starting with what students already know—spoken language—a sound wall provides a foundation that is both accessible and empowering. It serves as an essential bridge from oral language to reading fluency and writing proficiency, making it a valuable resource in any literacy-focused classroom.
Participants in this session will:
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Gain a clear understanding of what a sound wall is.
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Explore the benefits of using this tool to support phonemic awareness and phonics instruction in kindergarten through second grade.
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Discover its effectiveness in Tier II and Tier III interventions across all grade levels.
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Learn practical strategies for implementing the Phoneme Focus Wall (PFW) in their instructional settings.
Join us to deepen your knowledge and leave with actionable steps to effectively integrate the Phoneme Focus Wall into your teaching practice!
Sound Wall vs. Word Wall
Word walls are traditionally arranged alphabetically, with words organized by their initial letter. For example, under the letter “A,” you might find cards with words such as “are,” “and,” and “any.” These walls are meant to provide students with a visual reference for spelling, sight word recognition, and vocabulary building. Historically, teachers have used word walls to reinforce common sight words and introduce new vocabulary.
Sound walls, however, are organized by sounds rather than printed letters, shifting the focus from print to speech. This fundamental difference makes sound walls a more effective tool for teaching reading.
Why Register...
Phoneme Focus Wall: A Sound Wall Tool workshop is a must for educators:
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Deepen Your Literacy Instruction
Gain a thorough understanding of sound walls, a powerful instructional tool that emphasizes phonemic awareness and phonics—key components in developing reading proficiency. -
Bridge Oral Language and Literacy
Learn how to connect speech sounds (phonemes) to their written counterparts (graphemes), empowering students to decode and spell words effectively. -
Support All Learners
Whether you teach kindergarten, first, or second grade, or work in Tier II and III interventions, this workshop equips you with strategies to meet diverse learning needs. -
Practical Implementation
Walk away with actionable steps to integrate a Phoneme Focus Wall into your classroom, transforming how students approach reading and spelling. -
Engaging Visuals and Techniques
Discover how to use visuals, such as mouth position diagrams, to help students understand how sounds are produced, making the learning process interactive and memorable. -
A Modern Alternative to Word Walls
Understand how sound walls differ from traditional word walls and why they’re a more effective approach for emerging and struggling readers.
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By attending, you’ll not only enhance your own teaching practice but also help your students build a strong foundation in literacy that leads to long-term success.
